Confident
by NauruAyumi
Summary: OneShot YukixMachi, taking place at the Inn where Tohru and Kyo have been married. Yuki reflects on what he has gained from his relationship with Machi and finds himself pleased. Something's in the Air. Contagious Concepts part 3! R


Part three of Contagious Concepts- A concept for my each of my favorite Furuba pairings. They take place after the reception of Tohru and Kyo's wedding (they're 22, it took him awhile to get the guts to ask her...). Its a moonlit night and there is something contagious in the air.

I'll be posting them as separate one-shots, because the ratings will change between them.

If you enjoy this one, please read my Kakeru x Komaki fic called 'Conference' and my Arisa x Kureno fic called 'Content'

Disclaimer- Furuba isn't mine.

R&R! I'd love to know what you think. Tell me which fic/pairing I should post/write next! No flames please, flames hurt. But kind criticism is appreciated.

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Yuki wondered what it was about her, Machi, that gave him so much confidence. He had never, not by anyone's (except perhaps Ritsu's) standards, considered himself a confident guy. He wasn't a push-over in the sense that he was frequently bossed around but he never made much of an effort for his voice to be heard. It was less trouble to stay quiet. It took him quite a bit of resolve to do a good many things normal people did in their normal lives. He just wasn't used to being normal.

It had been over three years of being normal, but he hadn't really adjusted. He knew deep down that the curse had affected the way he acted in many situations- crowds, for example, made him anxious and he was rarely in the center of them. He didn't let people too close physically and he sometimes had trouble believing that he could be close emotionally either.

Machi brought out something different; different from his everyday self, different form the self he'd discovered in his friendships with her half-brother and Tohru. He wanted to protect her; he wanted her to know everything about him, he to know everything about her. He wanted her to be his alone, and when she told him that she was, she gave him the confidence not to have to ask.

Asking is considerate, something that Yuki had always been. He understood that it was polite, but it denotes a hidden mistrust of sorts between two people. Asking is good between strangers, between acquaintances, and for building relationships. But it was not what Yuki wanted. He was sure, around her, that he would not be rejected. He had her permission without words.

Of course, he knew where she drew her lines.

They were not beyond talking and he knew how she felt about sex and that she wanted to wait. The topic made her a little nervous- he thought she was cute when she was being shy. Shy yet confident. He didn't mind her decision: he'd spent nearly 17 years of his life without so much as a hug. Waiting awhile longer wasn't a problem and he never pressured her more than what was sensible. He simply felt incredibly lucky that he could hold her in his arms and kiss her senseless without growing a tail.

He'd given Tohru and Kyo (though mostly Tohru- he still hadn't found it in himself to be beyond grudging acquaintances with the ex-cat) a set of children's room furniture. Knowing her, it wouldn't be long before he was a godfather of sorts. The gift had been a suggestion of Ayame's; because the sheets for the miniature mattress in the crib matched one of the tiny outfits custom-designed for the future children. Yuki had agreed because he knew his brother would never let him refuse, though the children's clothing had been totally unnecessary because Ayame had already provided the wedding clothing for almost the entire party. Yuki had told Tohru after the ceremony that she had to invite him to her house once things had finally been settled and she was comfortable. She'd agreed wholeheartedly, and he smiled, telling her that he had one more gift for her then.

He was planning on planting an ornamental plum tree somewhere on the property, and she could watch it grow and care for it. She would think back to his "secret base" behind Shigure's house. It would grow tall and beautiful and bloom its perfectly innocent blossoms for her to watch with her children and measure them against its trunk. He knew it was the perfect gift.

Machi had helped him pick out the sapling that she thought would grow to be the most beautiful. Of course she chose one of medium size, average, with a warp in the bark and a strange bend in the top half. He could imagine how it would grow, twisting around the scar and the kink into something perfectly, elegantly, asymmetrical.

He could see the moonlight through the shoji screen door of Machi's room as he approached. It was as bright as her room was dark but he knew she was there and that she was awake. Perhaps she was sitting on the floor with her futon crumpled at her feet, waiting for him, or more likely, she was staring into the moon.

She would memorize every uneven dent in its face through its flawless light. The light offset the pockmarks; dark patches of an infinite gradient of shadow. He smirked; perhaps he would mention it, and tell her that she was as flawed as the moon and as flawless as its light. She probably wouldn't like that, but he loved how poetic the truth could be. Only she could make him consider saying anything like that. It was cheesy and would embarrass her, but she'd enjoy hearing it from his mouth. It was to her advantage that he wouldn't see her blush.

She'd tried to tell him once that he made her feel the same way, though she hadn't been quite articulate enough.

They'd been sitting on the stoop of his apartment building enjoying the gentle puffs of their breaths in the cold air. He'd called Kakeru because both of them had forgotten their keys and the other man had made an impromptu copy during one of his ridiculous rampages. Yuki had been almost thankful that he hadn't reached him soon enough to stop him. He was trying to learn to manage his own money, and calling a locksmith wasn't in the budget.

"Yuki?" Her voice was a little quiet as she tried to sort through her words.

"Hm?" He gave her his full attention, not knowing how it felt like he was putting her on the spot. She shifted nervously under his gaze, his warm eyes too sincere for comfort.

"You…" She trailed off, her face screwing up as she looked away. He was too much. "You make me… sure." She couldn't think of a better word.

He didn't catch her drift.

"Sure?"

"Never mind." She blushed and glanced at him before looking away once more and letting a piece of hair fall over her face. He brushed it away absentmindedly. Her next breath was a bigger cloud than the others.

They had sat in silence for a few minutes, both mulling over her words. The mailman walked between them to the boxes by the door, and had commented on their lack of conversation.

It wasn't until later that he understood better; in fact it was his own overly-confident brother that had summed it up.

"It's the point in a relationship where you know that nothing short of the greatest and most tragic faults and missteps can drive a wedge of burning despair between you! One feels positive that they are free to show their truest and purest form of themselves to the other without fear of rejection or abandonment or any other such vile occurrence."

The charismatic older man had added a few linguistic flowers to his sentence but he hit the mark. Yuki had doubted that there weren't many other stages than this in his brother's relationship with Mine, but he hadn't argued. Years had passed and Ayame was still extremely draining to him.

He loved spending time with her, Machi; he could be a perfect gentleman without a thought but he rather liked his cheeky, confident side. It was even better that she knew it was only around her that he behaved that way. Around everyone else, he couldn't be sure they would still like him, still be with him, if he changed his temperament. Around her, he was, as she'd said, sure.

He was sure of what he wanted and what he liked, he was sure of what she liked and how she felt about him. He was sure she'd tell him when to stop, he was sure he'd understand her signals. He was sure of a great many things as he reached her door.

He'd had training as a martial artist as a child. He hadn't chosen to pursue it like Kyo, but he was naturally talented and could feel her presence. She'd heard him and she was waiting, just inside the door. If he walked past she would probably go back to her moon-gazing, but he wasn't about to miss this opportunity.

Yuki paused a moment when he was sure she would be able to see his shadow against the paper. He wondered if she could guess his expression; no one but she had ever seen it, not even himself, but it felt different. It felt confident. He slid open the frame.

Arms were waiting for him as he stepped into the darkness, without a word of greeting passing between the two of them. He'd expected to have to do the talking, but he made her confident as well. It was a slow and meticulous kiss and a low purr from her throat and a small laugh from his. He could barely contain himself.

He gently traced his tongue across the edge of her ear as he walked her backwards, their legs moving together perfectly. He didn't want any of that kind of behavior, not from the way she was clinging to him with one arm up under his own and holding onto his shoulder and the other rubbing the skin of his lower back under his shirt. The last gentlemanly thing he would do would be to make sure she pressed against the wall smoothly.

Her fingertips on the slight indentations of his spine made him hiss quietly. He could smell her breath, toothpaste and wedding cake, noticing the speed between intakes of air. He smirked in the dark, just as she was blushing.

This confidence that let him press her to the wall and press his mouth to hers. This confidence that let him feel something fierce and unlike him. This confidence that let her hold on to him that he would never let her go. He was intent on enjoying it fully and all the things it brought him, and he didn't need to hold back for that. She was doing distracting things with her tongue and she had his full attention.

He could barely think beyond snapping the screen door shut with one hand.

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R&R please! Hope you enjoyed!


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